(Image borrowed from http://anti-corporation.blogspot.com/2008/07/daido-moriyama.html)
(Image borrowed from http://anti-corporation.blogspot.com/2008/07/daido-moriyama.html) After watching the Daido Moriyama video in class (which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VViYphLJWOk) I became inspired by Moriyama’s unconventional approach to photography, and chose him for this week’s blog post. Moriyama employs a no holds barred approach to photography – he simply goes out and takes pictures, without permission from the subjects, and doesn’t think twice about it. I find this very interesting considering how relatively strict Japan’s privacy laws are, escpecially in regards to taking pictures, regardless of whether or not it’s in public or not. It’s what many Kansai Gaidai students would refer to as a typical “Gaijin Smash:” a situation in which a foreigner does something despite it being against Japanese custom, although Moriyama isn’t a gaijin. I was felt very refreshed after watching the clip about him and his works.
Daido Moriyama was born in Ikeda, Osaka in 1938. At the age of 20 he took up work as a freelance designer, and two years later he decided to give photography a try, which he would soon discover to be his passion. He apprenticed under Takeji Iwamiya in Osaka for about a year, and then moved to Tokyo in 1961, where he would work as an assistant to the prominent photographer Eikoh Hosoe. Within a few years, Moriyama started working as a freelance photographer, which he continues today. He has over 70 published photography books, and has had countless exhibitions.
The main theme of Moriyama’s photography is uncensored, unedited Japanese daily life. Moriyama primarily focuses on urban settings, mainly in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo, although he has dabbled in other genres, such as more natural environments in Hokkaido and Okinawa.
Daido Moriyama was born in Ikeda, Osaka in 1938. At the age of 20 he took up work as a freelance designer, and two years later he decided to give photography a try, which he would soon discover to be his passion. He apprenticed under Takeji Iwamiya in Osaka for about a year, and then moved to Tokyo in 1961, where he would work as an assistant to the prominent photographer Eikoh Hosoe. Within a few years, Moriyama started working as a freelance photographer, which he continues today. He has over 70 published photography books, and has had countless exhibitions.
The main theme of Moriyama’s photography is uncensored, unedited Japanese daily life. Moriyama primarily focuses on urban settings, mainly in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo, although he has dabbled in other genres, such as more natural environments in Hokkaido and Okinawa.
Moriyama’s photography is generally done entirely in black and white, although I think this adds rather than detracts from the picture’s impact. Many photographers are able to successfully manipulate the appearance of their works through color editing to the point where the impact of the picture can be completely changed. Because Moriyama sticks to black and white, there is a very raw and uncut feeling. Because of Moriyama’s spontaneous approach to photography, simply pointing and shooting whenever he feels inspired or moved to do so, he says he can go through 20 rolls of film on a normal day. Because of the sheer quantity of photos he takes, he is able to catch the little moments that can provide a very realistic window into everyday life in Japan. In this respect I think Moriyama is extremely successfully in his representation of Japanese culture.
Moriyama's personal webpage:
Interview is Moriyama:
Collection of photos and (brief) biography of Moriyama from the Luhring Augustine gallery
Nice overview. But I think this guy is a photographer from another era. His methods would be problematic for a visual anthropologist but at the same time a visual anthropologist would be jealous because of the objectivity Moriyama is able to capture.
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ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Daido Moriyama nor seen his quite an unconventional approach to photography, but I watched the video and I loved t, He has an enormous talent as many Japanese people have
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